That Was Life
by Linxcat
Summary: Set of drabbles featuring the Lupin family .... ranging from OOTP to DH
1. Umbrella Stand

When she fell down, he would help her up. There were twelve dents in the floor by the front door of Twelve Grimmauld Place from that troll's leg umbrella stand, and many more scratches.

He had considered moving it once, but then it occurred to him that every time Tonks fell over, he got to help her up. He got to hold her hand and smile and ask her if she was alright.

Twenty-one years later, when a certain Teddy Lupin visited the house that would shortly be his, the troll's leg umbrella stand hadn't moved – apart from when he knocked it over.

That was life.


	2. Table

He could see her across the table, as they ate. She was sat between Ginny and Bill, her bubblegum pink hair clashing quite delightfully with the various red-heads seated around her.

Sometimes she would look up and he would catch her eye. He would smile, she would grin and they would go back to eating whatever the wonderful dish was that Molly had cooked, perfectly the same as before apart from the butterfly-feeling in their stomachs.

Teddy circled the table twice. Sirius sat one from the end, Remus next to him, and Tonks opposite. He sat down carefully in the seat and his face lit up.

That was life.


	3. Spoons

Her eyes flicked over the top of her cards and, although he couldn't see her mouth, he knew she was smirking. The next round of cards was passed around and suddenly she slammed hers down on the floor.

The next few seconds were of brawling confusion as the three players yelled and scrabbled for spoons. After much fighting, Tonks and Remus emerged, holding their spoons up victoriously. They were both winners.

Teddy sat down in the ancient armchair, then leapt up again. Beneath the cushion was a rusty spoon and a rather bent playing card. He grinned.

That was life.


	4. Coffee

She closed her eyes and blinked away the tears that threatened her elaborate makeup. The swirling fumes from the hot drink in front of her wafted up to her nose and she rubbed at it, furious at it for running.

On the table, sitting between them, was a red mug. On the side was engraved a single name, with a pawprint beneath it. She sniffed, he sniffed, and they both stared dejectedly at it.

Teddy Lupin opened the kitchen cupboard and found three mugs, one pink, one red and one gold, with the names _Tonks_, _Padfoot_ and _Moony_ written in flowery letters beneath the layers of dust.

That was life.


	5. Chocolate

She was running round the kitchen, the brightly-wrapped small package in one hand and he was chasing her, laughing for the first time since Sirius's death. If he wouldn't give her any of his chocolate, she had decided, then she would take it by force!

Suddenly she tripped, and he tripped over her, and they were sprawled on the floor together, sides aching from laughter. She looked up and he looked up. Their noses were practically touching. The chocolate was quite forgotten.

Teddy opened the next cupboard and found to his delight that it contained a bar of chocolate. Eagerly he ripped off the wrapper and took a large bite. It was only afterwards that he noticed it was mouldy.

That was life.


	6. Clouds

It's funny the things you notice when everything that you normally notice has gone. Like the clouds, she thought. So dark. So imposing. Now that he wasn't around to distract her – and even when he was, he avoided her like the plague – she just felt...empty.

The clouds were moving in, and that meant rain. Change, relief, nutrition. The rain was good; it would wash her sorrow away.

As Teddy went to close the curtains, he noticed the clouds. He wondered how long it would be before it would rain. Could anyone tell?

That was life.


	7. Bench

He approached her cautiously, like a lion stalking prey, terrified that if he startled her she might up and run and not give him a chance to explain himself. Because he had a lot of explaining to do – a year's worth – and he knew that if he didn't say now, he never would.

He touched her shoulder and she turned round, and all at once he knew words were not enough. They fell back as he kissed her, and her hair turned that shade of bubblegum he so loved. They barely noticed how hard the bench was.

He sat down, running his fingers over the wood. Teddy shuffled around, trying to get comfortable, but found it impossible, until he noticed the plaque. He would return to this spot every time he needed reassurance that they were real, and it soon became his favourite bench.

That was life.


	8. Hairclip

The sun glinted on her hairclip as she walked proudly down the isle – perhaps the only walk that she had ever accomplished without tripping. She beamed proudly at her husband-to-be at the other end, knowing that having to be extra careful for a few minutes was well worth it for him.

No one saw it coming, as it dived through the sky, a black and white blur. It snatched the golden clip right from her head and everyone gasped in surprise, then clapped in delight as the cascading tresses turned a rainbow of colours. No one noticed the magpie as it left, triumphant, with its treasure.

Teddy walked down the garden, kicking at the autumn leaves. His foot struck something hard and he uncovered it with a toe. After brushing off the mud, he found that it was an old hairclip. Absently, he tucked it in his pocket.

That was life.


	9. Gravel

She sat on the window seat; arms wrapped around herself, a mug of hot chocolate warming one hand. Her mother couldn't make her move for all the hot chocolate in England, there was only one thing that would shift her from her watch place, and that was what she was waiting for. 

Her head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. She dropped her mug and flung open the front door. The moment she recognised him, she ran to him, not bothering with such trivial things as shoes or spilt drinks. All that could be heard were sobs and the crunching of gravel.

The creaks of the old iron gate alerted Teddy instantly to her coming. He bounded down the hallway and outside, reaching her before she even had time to turn around. He kissed her with so much gusto that she tripped in surprise, sending them both tumbling onto the gravel.

That was life.


	10. Ribbon

She paused in her task to sweep a lock of hair from her face. After much battling with spellotape, she had finally wrapped the last present! Carefully, she cut a length of ribbon and lifted the gift, wrapping round the red twine, and tying it in a large bow on top.

Remus caught the ribbon reel from the floor and tugged the end, winding it jokingly around his wife's rounded stomach. The simple act was more than just fun, it was completely true. A family was the best Christmas present either of them could ask for.

As Victoire bent over to make the tea, Teddy noticed her hair. It was tied up quite prettily with a red bow, which brought out the strawberry-blonde shimmer of her tresses. He pulled at the end until the length came out in his hand. Although Teddy was delighted with the bright ribbon, the ends of Victoire's fringe smelt of tea for the rest of the day. 

That was life.


	11. Film

It didn't take long to find the camera, but it took an age to actually take the picture. Little Teddy squirmed and morphed just at the wrong moment, that Remus gave up on just taking one photo and took a whole shoot. 

By the time Teddy had fallen asleep, they had nearly finished the film, and many more photographs were taken of the child sleeping. The small contraption informed them that the film was finished, and Remus removed it, tossing it absently into the back of a drawer to get developed later.

Teddy rummaged around in the kitchen cupboards for a few moments, before pulling out a drawer beneath it. Objects bounced out and he scrabbled around to pick them all up. One that intrigued him was a small black box. He shook it and grinned. A film. He asked Victoire to remind him to get it developed.

That was life


	12. Spring

It was his first reply, and her whole face lit up. The name of her father, a hero, a loved one, who was gone. Who better to remember him by than his grandson? She told him that it was wonderful and they spent the next few minutes gazing lovingly down at their new son. 

When Andromeda came in, she joined them beside the bed, her own waves of delight and affection flooding out. She joined in their laughter at the sight of the child's hair changing swiftly from dark to bright orange, and beamed gratefully at their choice of name. He smiled and his eyes were drawn to the window at the pattering of spring rain.

Ted Remus Lupin lay back on his elbows, mouth twitching slightly in thought. He answered simply, smiling. She told him that she much preferred summer, because of the heat. So why spring? He chuckled and caught her gaze.

"Because," he said softly, "It is life."


End file.
